The Study Of American Writer John Burroughs’s Ecological Thoughts

As the deterioration of human being’s living environment, an increasing number ofAmerican writers are turning their eye on nature. Nature was respected and conquered byhuman, but it is revered by people again. John Burroughs is one of many writers who uses“nature” as their subject, but people treat him as the second-rate writer following the Thoreauand John Muir. This article is targeted at John Burroughs (1837-1921), using the method ofecological criticism, biographical criticism and the new criticism, expounding the mainecological ideas of John Burroughs, mining its value and the reason why it has been neglectedfor so long.The dissertation is composed of five parts.The "Introduction" part mainly includes the origin of the thesis and its significance,researching status at home and abroad.Chapter one mainly introduce the formation of Burroughs’s ecological thought. The mainreasons are four parts: the childhood habitat based on rural life and his mother’s teach,ecological enlightenment of Emerson’s Transcendentalism, the example of Thoreau’secological practices, also have–Whitman who is the important good teacher and friend givesBurroughs tremendous help about thought and literature creation.Chapter two contains essence of Burroughs’s ecological thoughts. By scrutinizing andexcavating the text, we expound the core of his ecological idea from ecologicalaesthetics view, ecological view of religion and the concept of ecological practice. Onaesthetics, Burroughs believes that the beauty of nature is self-existent, human in the naturalbeauty; on religion, Burroughs affirms religion’s values, but criticized the human religioustheology: the God of nature is the only faith for human; on practice, he advocated that peopleshould return to nature and learn to enjoy the simple life by his actions. He records naturearound us with scientific and careful observation, explains profound natural knowledge insimple literary language, and sets an good example for love nature and protect nature.Chapter three mainly embodies the value of Burroughs’s ecological thoughts. This part is talked from two aspects of literature and thought. On literature, Burroughs provided valuableadvices about creation of ecological literature and criticism, that is to say, ecological literatureshould be a kind of literature that reflects science and literariness; in addition, he stressed thatthe ecological view is the most significant for writers, especially the influence on readersabout relation’s expression between human and nature. On thought, people are stronglyconvulsed once again by Burroughs: ecology is the center of the world, reacquaint nature, andthen human will adjust right position in nature.The dissertation’s coda is the summary of Burroughs’s ecological thought’s core, revealingthe reason he was neglected. Even though he didn’t get approval for a long time, but he is theone who is the most close to the modern society. There are some reasons for this cause: first,the lack of representative works that reflected the main idea; second, the preference ofpastoral theme leads to the lack of topicality in the works; third, the lack of radicalenvironmentalism struggle action. By combing Burroughs’s ecological idea, It is unfair that somuch criticism on him. First, as the special subject of ecological literature, its literary formoften use prose and report form, it is difficult to attract the readers; secondly, pastoral is notonly a childhood habitat, but also his most familiar and happy place to live; without doubt, itis germinal point and media for understanding nature; finally, Burroughs admitted that:"I amnot a fighter", but with a more peaceful way--found the nature around us——to encouragepeople to get close to nature and love nature.